


A Place Called Home

by hidekaneheadcanons



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Blood, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Death, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 12:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11013072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hidekaneheadcanons/pseuds/hidekaneheadcanons
Summary: Kaneki never stayed in one place for too long. He never could and never really wanted to. But when he met Hide, he decided he didn't want to be alone anymore.





	A Place Called Home

**Author's Note:**

> Another story from my drabbles on tumblr. I hope you like!

Kaneki often heard stories. Of what the world used to be like. They were all nearly impossible to be true. How could humans have so much and lose it so quickly? Towering buildings, vehicles that ran on fuel and traveled at incredible speeds. Even travel by the sky was possible. They said it was the technology that destroyed the earth. Kaneki asked for details in his youth, but every time he got a different story.

Survival day by day was hard. The climate was harsh. There were deserts, jungles, and places that seemed to be constantly battered by immense storms. The weather could turn violent at the turn of a dime. It was difficult to settle down anywhere. Permanent residences were constantly destroyed. Especially with all the looting. So Kaneki preferred to stay on the road, the most important things to him held in a single backpack. Most of it consisted of books, filled with his own notes as he gathered information about the environment, or a _real_ book he found in an old building. Most of the time the books were burned for warmth or far too rotten to be readable. Sometimes Kaneki was lucky.

Kaneki was walking through a jungle, using a machete to cut through the vines when he came to what looked like a stone wall. Eager to see what the structure could be, Kaneki circled around it, pleased when he found a rusted metal sheet in the place of a door. He easily moved it aside and stepped inside, surprised when it was mostly dark, save for a small light coming from within one of the nearby rooms. It didn’t look like natural light.

Examining his surroundings, Kaneki kept his machete at the ready and stepped inside. There was what looked like a temporary bed and a small lantern set beside it. Someone was there recently. Kaneki was just about to back away when someone cleared their throat.

“Not to worry you, but do you think it’s good to sneak into other people’s hideouts when your injured like that.” He spun to find a man leaning in the doorway, posture unthreatening. The man smiled a bit at Kaneki’s confusion, then gestured to his leg.

After one more glance at the man, Kaneki dropped his stance and checked out his leg. The man was right. There was a giant rip in his pants that had blood along the edges. “Shit.” A thorn must have caught him and he didn’t even notice.

“If you put down your weapon, I’ll grab some stuff to treat it. I’d like to help, but I’d rather not get my head lopped off.” He watched with hawk-like eyes as Kaneki cautiously sheathed his machete and placed it on the floor. “Awesome. Come on over.”

The man sat on his bed and gestured for Kaneki to do the same, digging in his backpack to pull a few materials out. He explained to Kaneki as he worked.

He poured something over the wound that burned horribly. “Alcohol. Takes a long time to make. Pretty useful though.” He pulled out some moss that was rolled up in a cloth. “I just gathered it this morning. It has antibacterial properties.” He applied it to the wound, then wrapped it with some strips of cloth. “All good.”

Kaneki smiled, not used to such kindness in the brutal world they lived in. “Thank you.”

The man’s responding grin was blinding. “I’m Hide, by the way. So, you going to help me get dinner, or what?”

They headed through the forest together, picking various things they could eat for the night. Hide also grabbed more medical supplies, which he later gave to Kaneki, saying he would probably need them more than he did.

Hide let Kaneki stay the night at his little home. Kaneki was surprised he managed to withhold a residence, even if it was temporary one, though he supposed the jungle provided good cover. It was just sheer luck Kaneki stumbled upon it.

Kaneki was sad to move on in the morning. Hide was kind, and the first person he spoke to in a long while. He even gave Kaneki some extra food wrapped in a large leaf to take with him. When Kaneki stood on the doorstep, saying his goodbyes, Hide even hesitantly gave him a hug, wishing him well on his travels.

Kaneki continued through the forest, heading north as he had for the past few months. To keep moving was the best way to survive, was it not? He walked about two more miles until he wasn’t able to take another step, his stomach turning.

He covered his mouth as tears streamed down his face. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t want to keep going. He wanted to head back. He was so _lonely_. He finally found someone who could be a companion and he just _walked away_.

Kaneki turned around and trudged back through the jungle. He headed all the way back to where he was sure the building was, only to find trees and more trees. No stone. No metal door. No _Hide._ He walked around the area, but didn’t see anything.

What if he wasn’t able to find his way back? Kaneki felt his throat tighten and tears blur his vision, but he kept looking, wandering in hope of once again stumbling upon Hide’s home. He didn’t see the slope until his foot caught on a vine and he was tumbling down it.

He was covered in bruises, he was sure. It seemed like the world would never stop spinning, but finally, his back slammed against flat ground and the breath was knocked out of him.

A dark shadow blocked out the sunlight above him. “What the fuck. Kaneki?” Hide was staring down at him. “You okay?”

Kaneki caught his breath and nodded.

“That’s a relief.” Hide held a hand out. “Let’s get you on your feet,” Hide laughed.

Kaneki felt a little disoriented as he stood, but was overall fine. He sniffled, wiping his cheeks, his hands coming away dirty.

“You sure you’re okay? Does something hurt?” Hide asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“I’m okay.” Kaneki assured. “It’s just…” Kaneki blinked up at Hide, who smiled gently.

“Yeah,” he murmured. Then one arm wrapped around Kaneki, and the other ruffled his hair. “I know.”

When Hide pulled back, he placed both palms on Kaneki’s cheeks, squishing them up to form a smile. “Let’s spend the whole afternoon together, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kaneki tried for a laugh and tucked himself into Hide’s embrace again.

~<3<3<3~

“Why do you always do this?” Hide was staring at Kaneki’s bloody pants with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. “ _How_ do you always do this?”

Kaneki frowned, staring at the ground. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Hide said gently. “Be more careful. Take your pants off and sit down.”

Hide handed Kaneki a blanket to cover himself with, considering undergarments were a little hard to come by, then turned around to give Kaneki some privacy.

“O-okay.” Kaneki mumbled, letting Hide know he was done.

“Jeez.” Hide knelt in front of Kaneki and examined his knees. “How did you manage to do this?”

“I fell.” Kaneki flinched as Hide wiped the excess blood away. Even the skin that wasn’t torn was tender and bruised.

“You fell,” Hide sighed. “It looks like you skidded more than you fell.”

Kaneki squirmed as Hide cleaned the wounds, biting his lip in pain. He clenched the blanket he had wrapped around his waist tightly as Hide focused on getting rid of all the dirt that was embedded in his skin. When Hide finally stopped, Kaneki sighed in relief.

“I think that should be good. I’ll take another look at it tomorrow.” Hide carried on with his usual treatment of antibacterial moss and strips of fabric to bandage the area. “Did you hurt anything else? Your palms or elbows?”

Kaneki shook his head and waited for Hide to turn back around so he could change into one of his spare pairs of pants. Instead, Hide looked down at Kaneki’s knees again, then bent to brush a kiss over each bandage.

“What are you doing?” Kaneki asked.

Hide grinned up at him. “Kissing it better.”

“That doesn’t sound very sanitary.” Kaneki muttered, feeling a blush burn his cheeks the longer Hide stared at him.

Hide hummed, then stood, tapping Kaneki’s nose with his index finger. “Well you’re all taken care of and healing nicely, I’m sure.”

Kaneki smiled shyly and adverted his gaze, touching the bandages around his knees lightly. “Thank you.”

~<3<3<3~

Hide and Kaneki filled their backpacks with supplies, only taking necessities. They were going out to search for more of the old, manmade supplies that could help them. Hide was looking for things like glass containers, while Kaneki hoped for books.

Hide led the way first, borrowing Kaneki’s machete to cut their way through the thick foliage. They switched out in the lead about every hour. Every time they would cross a brook, Hide held Kaneki’s hand, grinning and teasing Kaneki about how often he fell and injured himself. When Kaneki asked Hide if he would carry him instead, he laughed.

After some searching, and discovering a batch of fresh and edible wild berries, Hide and Kaneki’s efforts were rewarded with structure which looked fairly intact. Like the building Hide and Kaneki were residing in, it was mostly made of rock. However, there was some wood as well, though it appeared to have started rotting.

Cautiously, they made their way inside through a broken window, to find different plants growing through the floorboards and out of the walls. Even with all the advances in technology the people of the past made, nature always prevailed.

Once they deemed the building safe enough, Hide and Kaneki split up to explore more thoroughly, digging through different cabinets and dressers, looking through more of the smaller rooms. Much to Kaneki’s surprise he found some magazines still wrapped in plastic in some boxes, their colours faded, but still readable. He stuffed some of those in his backpack, then kept searching. There wasn’t so many books to find. Most were rotten or unreadable, though he managed to scrounge up what he guessed were textbooks. One had information on medicine, and the other was smaller, but delved into research ethics. Both were incredibly valuable.

Happy with his load, he found Hide in the kitchen, frowning as he juggled various broken items.

“No luck?” Kaneki asked.

Hide sighed, shaking his head. “Nope. You?”

“I got some useful textbooks.” Kaneki said, peeking out a window and seeing how dark it had gotten. “Are we staying here for the night?”

“That’s the plan.” Hide confirmed. “Let’s find a good room to settle in.”

The best room ended up being the one Kaneki found the books in. They carefully cleared out some space on the floor, then set down their temporary beds, which were made of various pieces of plastic and fabric haphazardly stitched together by Hide. Curling up beside one another, they laid more fabric over themselves as blankets.

Kaneki shivered as the temperature continued to drop with the sun, and Hide shifted closer, wrapping his arms around him. “Is this okay?”

Kaneki nodded, holding back a smile. “Today was nice.”

“That it was.” Hide was grinning. “You’re so cute when you’re happy. Not that you’re not _normally_ cute. You are. It’s just – uhm – shit.”

Kaneki was embarrassed, but seeing Hide just as flustered as he was made him laugh. Hide just groaned and covered his face.

“Anyway,” he muttered from under his fingers. “Back to what I saying…” He pulled his hands away from his face and hesitantly asked. “Can I kiss you?”

Kaneki hummed, his face burning, his heart racing, but his voice oddly steady. “Yeah.”

With a sigh, Hide’s lips pressed against his and he relaxed further into Hide’s embrace. Eventually, he fell asleep just like that.

Kaneki slept in a bit in the morning, Hide finishing exploring the home while the sun rose. When he finished, he sat beside Kaneki, leaning against him and making him groan.

“How does some breakfast sound?” Hide nudged Kaneki gently, prompting him to sit up. He handed him some food in a glass jar and a bent spoon. Kaneki ate, leaning against Hide the whole time.

“Hey, ‘neki.” Hide was picking through Kaneki’s new haul of books. Hide didn’t like reading books as much as Kaneki did, but he thought the magazines were interesting, and he did make a point to read the medical textbook.

Though, he had much more fun with the magazines. Hide sat for a while, reading and exclaiming about various articles. Kaneki didn’t find the same curiosity in them as Hide did, though seeing how excited Hide was made him smile.

“Kaneki. Check this out.” Hide held up a magazine, and even with how faded it was, he could still see all the pink.

He scooted over curiously. “What is it?”

“The _love_ section.” Hide waggled his eyebrows and Kaneki sighed.

He decided he would bite anyway. “And what’s so interesting in the love section?”

“This!” Hide pointed to the left side of the page. “It gives tips for kissing!”

Kaneki almost groaned. “And?”

“Well!” Hide closed the magazine. “I have done my research and I think I am now very well versed in the subject.”

“Are you now?” Kaneki muttered, sure his cheeks were starting to flush.

“Why, yes!” Hide placed a hand on his chest. “I think I’m well versed enough to teach as a matter of fact!”

Kaneki sighed. “…teach me?”

“Bingo!” Hide grinned, holding his arms out, waiting.

Kaneki rolled his eyes, relaxing into Hide’s arms. “And… what now?”

“Well, now we kiss!” Hide declared, leaning close to Kaneki’s face.

Kaneki snorted. “That sounds rather basic. Isn’t that what we did last night?”

Hide made a negative noise. “Work with me, ‘neki!”

“Fine, fine.” Kaneki amended, waiting as Hide’s lips ghosted over his.

Hide kissed him slowly, moving one hand to cup his cheek. Kaneki flinched when he felt Hide nip his bottom lip lightly, but immediately took to the sensation when Hide ran his tongue over the spot. Kaneki frowned with disappointment when Hide pulled back shortly after.

“How was that?” Hide murmured, the vibration of his voice tickling Kaneki’s lips.

Kaneki answered by pulling him close, smashing their lips together again. Hide made a pleased noise, holding Kaneki close as they kissed. Hide ran his fingers along Kaneki’s spine and Kaneki shuddered, trying to get closer to Hide, if that was even possible.

~<3<3<3~

They were moving on. They took only what they needed and some of the most useful books. The jungle house they had was nice, but there wasn’t much for them there, and Hide was worried about how they would get food with the wet season on its way in a couple months.

They continued north, taking the easiest routes they could through the jungle, stopping at any place that was safe enough to rest, sometimes lucky enough to actually have a shelter to sleep in during the night.

Hide remained positive the whole way, chirping about one thing or another. Kaneki was always nervous in uncharted territory, but Hide seemed to be pretty comfortable. He wrapped an arm around Kaneki’s waist half the time, pointing out different plants and sometimes animals.

All was going well, until Hide pulled up short and stared up at the sky. “Do you hear that?”

Kaneki snapped to attention immediately. “Nothing…” Kaneki’s eyes widened. “Do you think?!”

“We need cover. _Now._ ” Hide spun around, searching the immediate area. There were no structures. The tree cover wouldn’t be enough for them. Eyes darting side to side, Hide took Kaneki’s hand, pulling him along. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

He needed anything that would cover them. _Anything._

“Hide!” Kaneki was pointing to their left, where he could see what looked like a sharp cliff. There wasn’t much of a chance, but Hide would take anything he could get. They ran under the cliff. There was a thin waterfall pouring off the side, and by what Hide could see, there was something behind it.

A cave.

They made it just before the acid rain fell. When they traveled deeper into the cave, Hide let out a long exhale. “Holy fuck.”

Kaneki was clearly shaken. “That was too close.” He whispered, his voice muffled as he covered his mouth.

“Yeah,” Hide agreed, taking a deep breath as he sat. “We might as well wait it out.” They both knew it could rain for days in the rainforest nonstop. They could stretch their food out for that long if they needed to, but at least they had enough water on them that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Hide lit a small fire as they set up, but quickly put it out once they were finished. He didn’t want to waste any energy. He made their bed on the hard rocks, and Kaneki laid down beside him after a few moments of looking out into the rain.

In the dim light, Hide made out his pinched eyebrows and worried expression. “It’ll be okay.” Hide murmured, pulling him closer and pressing a comforting kiss to his forehead. “Get some rest.” He traced circles on Kaneki’s back, watching as he closed his eyes and relaxed in Hide’s arms.

~<3<3<3~

Kaneki woke up occasionally through the night, the sound of the rain pattering outside not calming him like it usually would. Every time he roused, so would Hide. Hide would curl his arms around him, murmuring things in a calming voice.

It was hard to tell when it was morning, the sky being so dark. Hide lit the fire again, Kaneki scooting closer to it to try and absorb some of the heat. Hide was heating up some of their food, some type of vegetable. To be perfectly honest, Kaneki didn’t care what it was, he just wanted it in his stomach.

It was too dark in the cave to read, so other than talking to lessen the nervous silence, there was utterly nothing to do. So they slept most of the time, or just laid there, curled up against each other, trying to find some comfort that words couldn’t offer.

When Hide and Kaneki were finally able to immerge from the caves two days later the sun was shining dimly through the thick forestry. Kaneki looked up at the sky. The passing clouds that looked so threatening the other day were peaceful.

Kaneki remained quiet, listening to the sounds of the various forest animals, having become active again after the danger passed. They started traveling right away, having enough water for a few days. During their time in the cave, they found a fresh underwater stream deeper in and filled what they could with it.

As they traveled for a few hours, Kaneki noticed the forest was getting thinner, the floor of it more mushy. He and Hide had to avoid puddles more often, which then turned into ponds and shallow lakes. It was more of a swamp than a rainforest. The air was foggy, and while just as humid as the forest, it was much cooler, as if the sun couldn’t penetrate.

They could hardly see in front of them, and they stuck close together, Kaneki holding onto the back of Hide’s shirt so he could look around without losing him. As they sidestepped around a deep puddle, Kaneki spotted what looked vaguely like a structure.

Hide spotted it too, as they got closer, Hide noted the destroyed ceiling grimly. It looked as if it was melted. He patted Kaneki’s side lightly. “Stay outside.”

Kaneki nodded numbly. Outside the building, Kaneki could see various tools clean of rust despite the humid climate. He swallowed thickly. There were various objects littered around and Kaneki bent to examine them. There were more tools, some various unidentifiable objects and…

Kaneki picked up a porcelain doll, carefully brushing the mud off it. Its hair was matted and tangled, its clothes were practically melted onto it, destroyed in some places. Kaneki bit his lip. He wondered if the doll was dropped in a hurry to get inside when the rain began to fall.

He heard Hide approach behind him, then felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. “Please, put that down.” Kaneki’s fingers were trembling as he held it, and Hide’s hand folded over his. Hide stepped around to face him, wiping the tears from his cheeks. Kaneki slouched forward and pressed his face against Hide’s chest, shaking. Kaneki relaxed his fingers and Hide took the doll. “I’ll put it beside them, okay?”

Kaneki nodded numbly and Hide slowly pulled away, heading back into the building. When he came back, he gently took Kaneki’s hand, guiding him away.

Leaving the swamp, Kaneki could feel tears running down his cheeks. Hide remained quiet, though every once in a while, he would gently squeeze Kaneki’s hand as if to remind him he was still there. Kaneki hardly paid attention to where they were going, but Hide slowly pulled him along, guiding him over the various terrain. They made it through the swamp into more rainforest by the time the sun was setting.

“Let’s rest,” Hide murmured.

They took shelter under a large jungle tree, using various layers of leaves to keep themselves off the ground. Hide did most of the work, seeming unfazed by the whole ordeal. Kaneki sat and made a small fire with some of the wood Hide gathered, carefully placing the pieces of wood into a shape that would allow for ventilation.

“Have you seen things like that before? What we saw today?” Hide asked cautiously, keeping an eye on Kaneki’s expression as he slowly spoke.

Kaneki sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. “Yes. But, never… never a _child_.” His breath hitched and his throat felt like it was constricting as he fought to keep from crying again.

Hide’s voice was quiet when he spoke again. “You took a look inside before we left, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry,” Kaneki gasped out, curling in slightly.

There was hardly any sound as Hide sat beside Kaneki, throwing an arm over his shoulders. “Don’t be.” Hide didn’t say any more, he just stared up at the sky as the fire crackled in front of them, illuminating the area, and Kaneki curled against his side, his tears staining the fabric of Hide’s shirt. They didn’t go to sleep for quite a while. Kaneki just shut his eyes, focusing on the living, breathing man next to him, trying not to think about how the world could so quickly take him away.

Eventually, the calming crackling of the fire lulled Kaneki to sleep.

~<3<3<3~

Kaneki slept in late, only awakened by the gentle shake Hide gave his shoulder. The sun was filtering in through the trees, Hide’s face blotting out the spot over his face. “Hey, ‘Neki.”

“Hide?” Kaneki blinked slowly, sighing when Hide kissed his forehead.

Hide pulled back with a grin. “Good morning sleepy head. I got something for us this morning.”

“What’d you get?” Kaneki slurred, slowly sitting up. He rubbed his eyes, yawning.

Hide reached behind him for something, pulling out what was once an animal of some sort. Now, it was only a few thick strips of meat. Hide held out a pouch with his other hand, containing different roots and vegetables Kaneki recognized.

Hide laughed at the noise Kaneki made as he reached out for the food with wide eyes. “Boiled water?”

“Ready to go. I restarted the fire half an hour ago.” One of Hide’s pots was hung over the fire on a makeshift wooden structure. “Do your thing.”

Kaneki scrambled to make them breakfast, his stomach rumbling the whole time. Once he was done chopping the meat and vegetables, he put them in the pot to boil. After that point, Hide’s arms were around him, gently holding him. He was ruffling Kaneki’s hair and nuzzling his face against Kaneki’s back.

“How you doing?” Hide asked against Kaneki’s shoulder, his voice muffled.

Kaneki hummed noncommittedly. The previous day’s events left him exhausted, both mentally and physically, but Hide’s arms around him at least helped a little.

After a while, spent silently cuddling, the food was cooked and Kaneki divided it up evenly between the two of them. They sat beside each other, sipping the warm stew as the sun continued to rise. Hide devoured the meal, finished much quicker than Kaneki was. Hide took it upon himself to clean up, even as Kaneki protested.

“Relax for a little, okay? Take another nap. You need it.” Hide fixed up their sleeping bags, and then pulled Kaneki into his arms and lulling him back to sleep with soft words and touches.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. So did the next few days. Hide helped him lots, but Kaneki continued carrying out his duties, gathering wood, and looking for food and shelter while they traveled. Hide tried to do the most he could, but Kaneki felt better if he kept busy. It helped get the image of that young girl out of his mind.

~<3<3<3~

Hide examined the wound on Kaneki’s hand with a screwed expression. Kaneki watched as he pinched his nose, sighing heavily. “Did you really have to do that?”

Kaneki squirmed a little under his gaze, his fist subconsciously clenching, making him grimace. “I just wanted to get the flowers. It wasn’t like I knew I was going to fall.”

“You fall every other hour.” Hide bandaged the wound, shaking his head. “Now stay here and rest for a little. I’ll go finish gathering the firewood.”

They were at another temporary location in the jungle. Though it wasn’t as sheltered as the other structures they found, it would do in the case that it rained again. Kaneki sighed and flopped down on his bed roll, hoping he hadn’t upset Hide too much.

He decided to start working on setting up the fire, careful not to disturb the bandage Hide put on his hand for him. He set up some starter and twigs to get the fire going. He expected Hide to be back by then, but to his surprise, Hide still wasn’t back by the time the sun set. Worried, Kaneki started the fire and waited for him, fashioning a temporary torch in case he had to go looking.

It was just when he finished making the torch that Hide slipped in, firewood in one hand and in the other…

“You wanted these? Right?” Hide held out the flowers to Kaneki with a smile. “They _are_ really pretty.”

Dazed, Kaneki took them, holding them in one hand. “…thank you, but… I was trying to get them for you.”

“Oh.” Hide blushed and scratched his chin. “Well in that case then…” Hide plucked one of the flowers from his hands, reaching up to fasten it in Kaneki’s hair. “See? Pretty.”

Kaneki blinked in surprise, then smiled. Hide held still as Kaneki threaded the flowers through his hair. “The flowers are beautiful, but not as beautiful as you.”

Hide went bright red before he burst out in laughter. “Dude. That’s so cheesy.” Hide cupped Kaneki’s cheeks, kissing him. “You sweet, loveable nerd. I love you.”

Kaneki hummed. “I love you too.” Kaneki touched the flower in his hair lightly before he kissed Hide again.

They laid beside the fire for a while, Hide holding Kaneki close. Kaneki rolled over, pressing his back against Hide’s chest. Hide was quiet for a while, rubbing his knuckles against Kaneki’s chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Kaneki’s neck.

“How you doing?” He whispered.

Kaneki heard those words many times that week. He knew Hide meant well, that he was trying to look after him and help him in any way he could. However, Kaneki didn’t want to hear those words. He didn’t want to think about it. Maybe that wasn’t healthy, but at the moment, Kaneki didn’t care. He just _couldn’t_ deal.

“I’ll be fine,” Kaneki said. “Eventually.” At least that wasn’t a lie. He didn’t want to lie to Hide. “I’ll be fine if you just stay here with me.”

~<3<3<3~

Hide wasn’t the best hunter. However, he was quite good with snares and traps. So good as a matter of fact, bringing Kaneki meat to cook with wasn’t an uncommon occasion. But Kaneki was never less excited each time.

Food was never guaranteed in the world they lived in.

Hide carried his haul into their temporary little home. Kaneki was probably done gathering and bringing the water. Hide seriously didn’t know how he managed to carry so many heavy buckets. Kaneki was seriously strong, but pretty clumsy too.

Sure enough, when Hide came in, Kaneki was just pulling out food for breakfast. He perked up when Hide entered, and his whole expression lit up and he made a strange noise when he noticed what Hide was carrying.

Hide laughed and gave Kaneki the goods. “What are you planning to make this morning?”

“Maybe a stew? Not exactly breakfast food, but I got a lot of vegetables yesterday.” Kaneki mused, pulling out their cooking pot. He shooed Hide away. “Go clean up. You’re covered in filth.”

Hide did, but not before giving Kaneki a quick kiss on the cheek, and earning an indignant squawk when he smeared mud on Kaneki’s nose. Hide scurried away as Kaneki smiled and muttered to himself about having to clean his face again. 

Kaneki cooked as Hide got into a pair of clean clothes and set the other pair aside to wash in the river in the morning. By the time he was finished washing up and getting dressed, the meal was done and Kaneki had proudly set it out in a pair of mismatched bowls.

Hide sat down and took a bite, pretending not to notice the way Kaneki was staring intently at him.

“It’s good!” Hide said, and Kaneki’s face broke into a grin, his cheeks reddening.

“I’m glad.” Kaneki brought his bowl up, his smile hidden behind it as they ate.

They immediately afterwards, packing up all their things. The forest seemed endless. No matter how far they traveled, it just went on and on. He was tired of having to cut his way through thick vines and slip on the slick ground. Every time the trees seemed to thin and there seemed to be hope, the forest just thickened back up. They were in a thinner patch when Hide looked up at the sky, his jaw dropping.

“Is that smoke?”

Kaneki glanced up as well, his eyes widening when he saw the grey tendrils in the blue sky. “I think it is.” Kaneki started towards it, but Hide caught his arm.

“We need to be careful. It could be bandits or looters.” Hide frowned. “It looks like too much smoke to be from one fire.”

“It is.”

Hide and Kaneki spun when they heard the voice from behind them. There was a young woman with dark hair, her eyes sharp.

“But, if we were bandits, you would have already been dead when you lit your fire this morning.” She leaned against a tree. “And yes, we also saw your fire last night. Anyways, Yoshimura sent me to check things out.”

Hide and Kaneki glanced at each other. “So why did you come searching for us?”

“To see if you wanted to join us.” The woman made a face, then gestured for them to follow her. Cautiously, they did.

The first thing they saw were the crops, accompanied by the sound of a river. They could see the smoke they saw earlier getting closer. Eventually, they could make out buildings. There were some that were old and broken down, but were obviously repaired with new materials. There were new buildings as well. Some were even in the midst of construction.

There were people about, of all ages. Some looked at Kaneki and Hide curiously. Others continued on with their day. Hide was dumbfounded. He never saw so many people in one place at one time. Kaneki looked equally stunned.

An older man approached them, smiling gently. “Thank you for showing them the way, Touka.”

Touka nodded sharply and strode away.

“Would you like to take a tour with me?” The man asked, smiling.

They learned that the man’s name was Yoshimura. He founded the town and a few years earlier, with a small group of about a dozen people. Since then, the population grew to fifty-two. Yoshimura said the number proudly, mentioning he would be happy to make it fifty-four. He showed them the homes, the gardens, the well. Yoshimura left them to wander around after the short tour.

Kaneki slipped his hand into Hide’s, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “What do you think?”

Hide hummed. “I’ve never lived anywhere so permanently. I’ve heard of towns like this before, but I never thought I could…”

“I’m sure your medical knowledge would be good here.” Kaneki leaned against him. “If we lived here, we wouldn’t have to carry our whole lives on our backs anymore.”

“You’re thinking about getting a bookshelf, aren’t you nerd?” Hide nudged him. “And think of all the blankets we could have too.”

Kaneki nodded. “Somewhere nice to stay all the time… a home. It sounds nice.”

“It does.” Hide pulled Kaneki into a hug, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Home.”


End file.
